Bedtime Rhymes Pantomime brings Mother Goose to life on the streets of Nelson
By Colin Payne
At times, living in Nelson can seem like being part of a fairytale. But this year’s Christmas Pantomime will be taking that feeling and turning into a reality of sorts.
Hitting the stage this December 4, 5 and 6 at the Capitol Theatre, this year’s panto is called Bedtime Rhymes Pantomime – and it’s set to turn Nelson into a fairytale world.
Written by Nelson local, Lisel Forst (the villain in Sherlock Holmes, 2012) and directed by her husband Jeff Forst (Nelson Youth Theatre), Bedtime Rhymes Pantomime takes all the characters from Mother Goose and brings them to life on the streets of a nursery rhyme version of Nelson.
“We join them on the weekend of the annual Christmas Market Pie Festival,” says Jeff Forst.
“We have the Queen of Hearts and the King of Hearts; and the Queen of Hearts loves her tarts. So she’s hosting the festival. Peter Piper shows up in town and things immediately start to go differently, things start going awry.”
Forst adds that while this year’s panto is an original piece that’s set in Nelson, it still contains all the traditional elements you have come to expect from a good pantomime: the villain, the hero, the love interest, and the dame (a man who dresses up as a woman).”
“Lisel has done a good job of including traditional pantomime elements with the nursery rhyme world, and with local Nelson-based humour that people like and recognize.”
Add to that lots of singing and dancing, and you’ve got the makings of another great pantomime at the Capitol – the 27th annual panto, which is a yearly fundraiser for Nelson’s community theatre.
When asked why he thinks the pantomime is so popular in Nelson, Forst said pantomime has a unique style of humour that people tend to love.
“Pantomimes have a strange funniness that makes them work,” he says. “People know there will be comedy, dancing and goofy slapstick. And they know they’re in for a good time without too much seriousness.
“And one of the main things is the audience involvement that’s part of it . . . I think people really love booing the villain, and it’s really fun to cheer on the hero through his or her journey.”
And, as always this year’s event has a cast and crew made up of a who’s who of the local theatre community – totaling 55 local performers including Darren Fuss, Zak Higgins, Eli Geddis, as Mother Goose, Ty Wright, Marleah Staten, Heather Gingras, Anna Bundschuh, Brian Munroe and more.
Bedtime Rhymes Pantomime also features music direction by Sydney Black and choreography by Mackenzie Hope.
Showtimes are December 4, 5, and 6 at 7:30 p.m. and matinees on December 6, 7 at 2 p.m.
Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for students, or $45 for a family of four. Buy tickets at http://capitoltheatre.bc.ca/ or phone 250-352-6363.
